Maureen Ryan has shared excerpts from her one-on-one interviews with executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, author George R.R. Martin, and actress Emilia Clarke, over at her Stay Tuned blog for AOL’s TV Squad.

Some great tidbits, such as Benioff and Weiss using George’s reactions as a weather-gauge for fan reaction (good idea), George emphasizing that he believes the series will be the best-looking fantasy series that has ever been on television (but it won’t be The Lord of the Rings, because LotR had a far greater budget for comparable hours), and Clarke discussing her first day of filming as well as how the separation of her character from many of the others didn’t mean she didn’t get chances to socialize with fellow actors who weren’t part of her storyline.

Looking forward to the full interviews down the road, as April 17 approaches!

Edited: Mo and Ryan McGee have put up a second part of their Talking TV with Ryan and Ryan podcast, in which Maureen discusses TCA and Game of Thrones. She even includes a shoutout to Westeros.org, although a slip of the tongue meant your humble webmaster did not quite get his right name (close, though—Emilio is my godfather’s name, as it happens!) Thanks, Mo!